This Green Bean Casserole is a healthier, dairy-free version, and as creamy and comforting as the original. I love serving this ultimate comforting dish during Thanksgiving, Christmas and for winter gatherings.
Sauteing the garlic and onions alone creates a pleasant aroma of warmth in your home, and makes you feel just so cozy! You’ll definately want to add this green bean casserole vegan dish to your plant-based holiday menu!

The luscious creamy sauce in this non dairy green bean casserole is what makes this dish so wonderful. Itโs low fat and dairy-free using almond milk, vegetable broth, and herbs.
This green bean vegan recipe uses hearty, meaty portobello mushrooms with beautiful earthy layers of flavor. Add a little cornstarch to turn it into a thicker sauce.
Once the string beans are steamed, we coat them with this delicious sauce, top them with lightly oiled panko breadcrumbs and sliced almonds. Also, instead of those fried onions they sell at the store, we use caramelized shallots for the ultimate, healthier crispy top of this easy vegan green bean casserole.
This is a great addition to your plant based Thanksgiving dinner. Head over to my recipe roundup for more Thanksgiving dishes: Plant-Based Dishes For Thanksgiving.
Serve this vegan green bean recipe hot so it’s nice and bubbly. You have so many textures and layers of flavors. I love serving these with Mashed Cauliflower, Cranberry apple sauce, and some Roasted Butternut Squash.
I call this a delicious, warming meal that will nourish your body and soul, leaving you satisfied without the guilt or heaviness when finished with a comforting winter/holiday meal. Plant based soul food recipes like this vegan string bean recipe stick to your ribs, leaving you full and delightfully so.
Pair this casserole alongside a plant-based main dish:
- Baked Tofu
- Baked Vegan Macaroni and Cheese
- Cheezy Veggie Divan
- Crustless Broccoli Sun-Dried Tomato Quiche
- Mushroom Stroganoff
Heart Healthy Green Bean Casserole
Green beans offer a whopping dose of vitamins like A, C, K, B6, and folic acid, a high dose of fiber, and minerals like calcium, silicon, iron, manganese, potassium, and copper.
Mushrooms are so great to add to your diet, as they are known to boost the immune system and ward your body from cancer and other diseases.
Garlic, shallots and thyme are immune boosters, offering antibacterial properties, which makes this dish so great for winter.
Top them with the crunchy almonds for some heart-healthy protein rich crunch. You have yourself a beautiful, health supporting, comforting dish that will please your entire family/dinner party.
Iโd love to hear your feedback in the comments below for this Vegan Green Bean Casserole Recipe! If you have a photo, post it on Instagram, tag me using the hashtag #plantbasedcooking in your caption, and I wonโt miss it!
This recipe is Certified Plantricious because it meets the following guidelines.
The Trusted Seal for
Plant-Based Nutrition
- Must be whole food plant-based, contains no animal products
- May be minimally processed
- No added oil
- No added sugars
- No artificial additives or preservatives
- Sodium (mg) to Calories ratio, 1 โค 1
- Total Fiber to Calories, 2g โฅ 100 calories
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Vegan Green Bean Casserole
Equipment
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
- Large Skillet
Ingredients
- 1 large onion sliced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 lb green beans trimmed and cut in half if large
- 1/3 cup sliced almonds
- 1/2 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs (Make your own if you can't find these. See the Notes below)
Mushroom Sauce
- 4 cup mushrooms cleaned and chopped
- 1 tsp fresh thyme
- 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/4 cup water or low sodium vegetable broth
- 1 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk
- 1 cup homemade vegetable broth (or 1 cup homemade)
- 1/2 tbsp low-sodium tamari
- 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
- salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat over to 375ยฐF
- Add the onions and garlic, along with a little water, to a large pan and saute over medium heat until they start to caramelize, being careful not to burn them. When they have caramelized a little, remove them from the heat and set aside. Reserve the pan for cooking the mushrooms
- Using a steamer, steam the green beans over 1" water until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the green beans to one half of the onion/garlic mixture in a large bowl.
Mushroom Sauce
- Using the same pan as you cooked the onions in, saute the chopped mushrooms. They should give off enough water to keep them from sticking, but you can add more water if they stick.
- Add the Tamari, thyme, salt & pepper and saute until lightly browned.
- In a small jar or bowl, add the whole wheat flour and 1/4 cup water or vegetable broth. Whisk or cover and shake until well blended.
- Add the non-dairy milk to the mushrooms along with the flour mixture and stir continuously. Add the vegetable broth, nutmeg, salt, and pepper and continue to stir until the sauce thickens. Check for flavor and add salt & pepper as needed.
- Once the sauce has thickened, removed it from the heat.
Assembly
- Place the green beans (mixed with the onions) in a 2-quart casserole dish. Pour the mushroom sauce over the green beans and spread it around to get into every nook and cranny.
- Sprinkle the other half of the caramelized onions over the green bean/sauce mixture and top with the breadcrumbs.
- Cover and bake for 20 minutes. Removed from the heat and sprinkle the sliced almonds over the top. Return to the oven and continue to cook for about another 10 minutes until the sauce is bubbly. Check to make sure the almonds aren't burning.
This was a huge hit! I made it for Christmas dinner and everyone loved it including non vegans. Iโm definitely making this through out the year for potlucks and parties. It has tons of flavor.
Yay, that’s super to hear!! And, that everyone enjoyed it means a lot. Thanks for letting me know. โค๏ธ
Sounds wonderful!! Iโll have to try this on weight watchers :). I love spaghetti squash so I usually poke a hole in it and cook it in the microwave about ten minutes. That gets it half way done. Then I finish by roasting it cut side down in the oven because it has better flavor!!